# Global Tax Lead

**Company:** [Lightning AI](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/lightning-ai)
**Location:** San Francisco, CA
**Role:** Finance & Accounting
**Salary:** $185k – $200k/yr
**Experience:** 8+ years
**Skills:** corporate tax, u.s. federal tax, state tax, california combined reporting, multi-state apportionment, asc 740, asc 805, asc 842, tax provision, deferred tax accounting, m&a tax, onesource, corptax, property tax, intercompany pricing
**Posted:** 2026-08-03

> Leads the corporate tax function for a multi-entity AI infrastructure company, overseeing compliance, ASC 740 tax accounting, M&A support, property and indirect taxes, and tax risk management. Requires 8+ years of corporate tax experience and strong U.S. federal, state, and multi-state expertise.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities

### Tax Function
- Build and own the tax function.
- Establish Lightning AI's corporate tax function across the multi-entity consolidated group.
- Create tax policies, documentation, controls, and procedures to support internal governance and audit readiness.
- Develop a multi-year tax operating roadmap covering process design, automation priorities, and the consultant-to-FTE transition plan.

### Tax Compliance
- Lead U.S. federal and state corporate income tax compliance, including the first consolidated federal return.
- Manage California mandatory combined reporting and multi-state nexus exposure, including separate-filing and addback jurisdictions.
- Oversee sales and use tax and gross receipts tax compliance across the company's data center and customer footprint.
- Oversee property tax compliance for data centers and equipment, including assessment review, return preparation, appeals, and exemption or abatement opportunities tied to GPU and infrastructure investments.

### Tax Accounting and Audit Support
- Own quarterly and annual income tax provision work under U.S. GAAP and ASC 740.
- Prepare effective tax rate analyses, deferred tax positions, and uncertain tax position documentation.
- Partner with external auditors and Corporate Accounting on tax workstreams supporting the first-year audit.
- Build tax forecasts and reporting cadences for Finance, FP&A, and leadership decision-making.

### M&A and Strategic Transactions
- Support ASC 805 purchase accounting tax implications, opening balance sheet tax positions, and carryforward analysis for acquisitions.
- Lead tax workstreams for future M&A, financing, and restructuring transactions.
- Partner with Strategic Finance and Corporate Development on deal diligence and structuring.

### Cross-Functional Partnership and Risk Management
- Identify, assess, and mitigate corporate tax risks.
- Monitor evolving tax laws and reporting requirements, including those affecting AI infrastructure businesses.
- Manage external tax advisors, auditors, and other third-party partners.
- Communicate complex tax matters to stakeholders across Finance, Accounting, FP&A, Legal, and Engineering.

## Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
- CPA or MST strongly preferred.
- 8+ years of progressive corporate tax experience, combining Big Four public accounting and in-house experience.
- Strong knowledge of U.S. federal and state corporate income tax compliance, including consolidated return rules.
- Working knowledge of California combined reporting and multi-state apportionment, including separate-filing state exposure and addback rules.
- Experience with ASC 740, tax provisions, deferred tax accounting, and effective tax rate analysis.
- Hands-on M&A tax experience, including purchase accounting, opening balance sheet analysis, carryforwards, and post-merger integration.
- Experience establishing or significantly rebuilding a tax function; startup, post-merger integration, or carve-out experience is preferred.
- Familiarity with the technical accounting demands of infrastructure or cloud businesses, including capital-intensive fixed assets, complex revenue arrangements, and ASC 842 leases.
- Track record of partnering with Accounting, Finance, Legal, FP&A, auditors, and external advisors.
- Experience with tax provision and compliance tools such as OneSource, Corptax, or similar platforms.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to brief executives and explain tax matters to non-tax audiences.
- Ability to build rather than maintain and operate effectively in a fast-paced environment with evolving priorities.

## Nice-to-Haves
- Experience at a high-growth AI, cloud, infrastructure, or other capital-intensive technology company.
- Exposure to GPU financing, vendor financing, or other complex capital structures.
- Experience supporting a first-year audit or significant compliance remediation.
- Multi-state intercompany pricing experience across a multi-entity U.S. group.
- Property tax experience in a capital-intensive environment, including data center, GPU, or equipment-intensive operations.

## Compensation and Benefits
- Annual base salary: **$185,000–$200,000 USD**.
- Discretionary bonus, meaningful equity component, and comprehensive benefits.
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and eligible dependents.
- RSUs.
- 401(k) matching in the U.S.
- Unlimited PTO, company holidays, and floating holidays.
- Two-week company-wide winter break.
- Paid parental and family leave.
- Annual learning and development allowance.
- Wellness and work-from-home stipends.
- Four weeks of paid sabbatical after four years of service.
- Flexible schedules and a hybrid work model for office-based teams.
- Complimentary meals at office hubs.

## Similar roles

- [Credit and Collections Lead](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/bd48bb8b-3c00-405f-9905-bc9b12f86cfc) - OpenAI - San Francisco, CA - $185k – $205k/yr
- [Structured Finance Sr Associate](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/d97ac81b-df0e-4daa-affa-f7cb8888d540) - OpenAI - San Francisco, CA - $185k – $260k/yr
- [Senior Manager, Equity Administration](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/8bed0c89-dd43-46e5-81e1-43ff38bd2f39) - Ramp - New York, NY - $185k – $254k/yr
- [Senior Program Controller](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/85765b70-7fd6-406a-b15f-890353ffe07d) - Zoox - Foster City, CA - $183k – $220k/yr
- [Sr. Manager, Accounting](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/d793c96d-04b2-4de1-b5c0-11eda40ba574) - Illumio - Sunnyvale, CA - $183k – $219k/yr

**Apply:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/5432438b-7a00-414f-80cb-0da2ab8b0ecf
**Canonical:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/5432438b-7a00-414f-80cb-0da2ab8b0ecf